He said his family had started out at 0130 BST to make sure they got a good spot in the park.

Foil blankets

Brigid Peelan, from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, said she had not slept all night because she was so excited about the Mass.

She said she had previously travelled abroad to see the Pope, but added "it is different to see him on your own doorstep".

Volunteer medic Nick Crombie, who is clinical director for the Midlands Air Ambulance, said first-aiders had provided at least 200 foil blankets for people suffering from cold, some wearing inappropriate footwear such as sandals.

Mr Crombie, who normally works at music festivals, said: "The atmosphere is much nicer here.

Image caption
The Pope blessed a baby outside the Birmingham Oratory

"Everybody is getting on with each other and they're not drunk.

"Although some things never change - people have come completely unprepared in silly footwear."

After the Mass, the Pope was applauded as he left the stage and headed to a private visit at the Birmingham Oratory on the Hagley Road, leaving Catholics in Cofton Park to eat their lunch and reflect on the Mass.

Shelia Freeman, from Streatham in London, had an atheist upbringing and converted to Roman Catholism five years ago after her husband's death.

She said: "Seeing the Pope has really helped to strengthen my faith, as has being here with like-minded people because many of my friends are not religious."

Ian Sesnan, also from Streatham, said he chose to come to the Mass in Birmingham because he wanted to take part in history.

"To see so many Catholics coming together shows our faith is a living faith and not just something that existed hundreds of years ago," he said.